Improvement in the manufacture of iron and steel



CHARLES M. NES, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 123,191, dated January30, 1872.

, To whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES MOTIER N us, of York, in the county of Yorkand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulimprovements in refining or purifying iron and manufacturing wrought andcast steel, of which the following is a specification:

My invention is directed to the refining of iron or the production ofcast or wrought steel in a reverberatory or puddlin g furnace. Theinvention involves the two following features, both of which, inconjunction, are necessary to the successful accomplishment of theobject I have in view: First, the employment of an ore, essentially amagnetic silicide of iron, found in Heidelberg Township, York county,Pennsylvania, and in other localities, the properties of which are fullydescribed in several Letters Patent granted to me within the past twoyears, this ore being mixed in proper proportions with the iron to berefined or converted; and secondly, the subjecting a charge of thismixed iron and ore to a blast of oxygen or atmospheric air in areverberatory furnace. By this means-that is to say, the conjoinedaction of the ore and the blast-I am enabled to refine or convert theiron on the hearth of the furnace in a very short space of timemuchshorter than has heretofore been practicable and also to produce animproved quality of metal.

To enable those skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, Iwill now proceed to describe more particularly the manner in which thesame is or may be carried into effect.

Th e puddling or reverberatory furn ace which I employ is in mostrespects of the usual con struction. from being injured by the intenseheat which is generated by the blast, I use chill-boxes for the sidesand insert watertuyeres through them, as in an ordinary refinery. Toprevent the burning out of the bottom of the furnace I line the whole ofthe inside of the furnace, with the exception of the tuyere-holes, withfire-brick composed of kaolin, plumbago, and asbestos; and I afterwardspread over the tirebrick a thick paste, mortar, or composition of thesame materials, thus rendering the lining exceedingly refractory andenabling it to with- In order, however, to prevent itstand an intenseheat. From the water-tuyeres, which are so located as to blow directlyinto the mass of the charge in the furnace, I blow from a pressure-blastinto the charge, for the purpose of decarbonizing the metal, the oxygenof the blast uniting with the carbon in the iron, thus settin upcombustion and causing rapid decarbonization to take place. It will, ofcourse, be understood that other means may be employed for rendering thefurnace refractory. 'Ihe above-mentioned means I have found highlyeffective.

To purify or refine iron I charge the furnace with pi g-iron or otheriron to be purifiedsay live hundred pounds, more or lessthe ordinaryquantity of hammer-slag or mill-cinder, and from five to ten per cent.of magnetic silicide of iron-ore. I then turn on the blast, at the sametime stirring the metal as the charge melts until it thickens or comesto nature. I then ball up the metal and put it under the hammer. Owingto the rapid dcca-rbonization effected by the blast, the heat occupiesbut about thirty minutes. The silicon in the ore unites with the iron,and a superior quantity of metal is obtained.

When I wish to make wrought-steel, I put in the furnace a chargeconsisting of, say, from live hundred to one thousand pounds of pig orother iron, mixed with from fifteen to twenty per cent. of the magneticsilicide of ironore, and a suitable quantity of hammer slag ormill-cinder. This charge I proceed to melt and blow into, as abovedescribed, stirring the metal slightly with a rabble to insure athorough intermixture of the charge and to prevent it from sticking tothe bottom of the furnace. WVhen the metal gran ulates or comes tonature I cease blowin g in air, shut the damper, ball up the metal, andbring it to the hammer. In this way a very superior quality ofwrought-steel is made.

WVhen I wish to produce cast-steel, I charge the furnace with pig-iron,magnetic silicide of iron-ore, and hammer-slag or mill-cinder in theproportions above given for making wrought-steel; and I then proceed tomelt and blow into the mass. Just before or when it tends to come tonature I throw into the melted mass in the furnace from ten to twentypounds of fine charcoal, which keeps the metal intensely hot andpreserves its fluidity. I take some of the metal out and test it underthe hammer to ascertain when it has come to proper condition; and whenit has reached this state I draw it off through a tap-hole formed in thefurnace and cast it into molds of any desired shape or size.

To prevent the inclosing of air in the ingots, forming what is termedhoney-comb. which is so common in all cast-steel, I divide the moltenmetal as it passes to the molds into small streams. This mode ofdividing thelarge stream of molten metal makes provision for the escapeof the air before the metal reaches the mold, and is, I have found, veryeffective in preventing honey-comb. For the purpose of producing thisdivision of the molten metal I have found it preferable to use a sievemade of some refaotory material-such as asbestos. In practice I plait orotherwise form a rope or cord of asbestos, and from this, as fromordinary wire, I make a sieve, using a wrought-iron frame. Through thesieve the molten metal is poured into the molds. The openings or meshes,which may be about of a size to admit the finger, produce separatestreams, and the molten metal being thus divided the air is allowed toescape, and the ingots become solid; Other meansfor dividing the moltenmetal will readily suggest themselves; and I would also state that thisfeature of my invention is not necessarily dependent upon the processabove described for making cast-steel, but may be employed in all caseswhere molten cast-steel is being run into molds.

I have above given the proportions of ore which I prefer to use for thepurpose of refining iron or making steel. These proportions may,however, be somewhat varied without materially affecting the result, andI do not, therefore, limit my claim to the precise proportions stated.

The steel made by the above process is much superior in quality toordinary steel made in a puddling furnace; and the time required for aheat is much less than that ordinarily consumed. Tne whole operation canbe completed in about thirty minutes.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is- 1 1. The mode herein described of refining or purifying iron in areverberatory or puddling furnace. 4

2. The production of wrought-steel in a puddling or reverberatingfurnace substantially in the manner herein described.

3. The production of cast-steel in a puddling or reverberatory furnace,substantially in the manner herein described.

4. In the manufacture of cast-steel, sieving or dividing the moltenmetal into small streams as it passes to the mold for the purpose ofpreventing honey-comb, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hav e signed my name to this specification beforetwo subscribing witnesses.

' CHAS. M. NES.

Witnesses:

M. BAILEY, O. B. NOTTINGHAM.

